Piston stabilizer



Oct. 29, 1940.

D. J. WHERRY PISTON STABILIZER Filed June 15, 1939 0 J I \IZ FlG.i.

INVENTOR DALE J. WHERRY,

%5/ r, flaw 'ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 29, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE militant Dale J. Wherry, Sh Louis, Mo. Application June 15, 1939, Serial No. 219,339

6 Claims,

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in piston stabilizers, the pecularities of .which. will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

The main objects of my invention are to provide means first, for securely holding a wooden plug at the end of an arcuate spring adapted to be supported in the vertical axis of a piston to exert a spring tendency outward on the plug projecting through an opening in the side wall of a piston; second; for assisting in holding the plug in the cup-shaped end of said spring; third, for avoiding any tendency of the plug to split under operation as a stabilizer; and other objects and features of construction hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Under continued use, a reciprocating piston in a cylinder is subject to wear that produces a lateral play of the piston that is known as piston slap. Various means for avoiding this slap have been employed, and my present construction is an improvement over my previous Patent No. 2,063,210 dated December 8, l936 for a Devicefor elimination of piston flutter. In my said prior patent the wooden plug has a cone-shaped recess cut in the rear base portion of the plug into which fits a matching projection from a flat spring mounted by its ends on the inner face of the side wall of a piston. A separate holding band embraces the wooden plug to prevent the plug from expanding or splitting.

My presentinvention isdesigned as an improvement over my prior construction as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing in which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts,

Fig. 1 represents a vertical section through a piston having my improvements applied thereto and an enclosing cylinder for said piston;

Fig. 2, a detail perspective view of my spring cup'and its support as shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, a similar sectional view of Fig. 1 with another form of my spring-supporting. means for mounting it in the piston; and

Fig. 4, a perspective view of this form of springsupporting means for mounting it as shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral l designates a suitable piston of an explosive englue and 2 its enclosing cylinder. The wear that occurs in such a pison and cylinder is indicated in exaggerated form at 3 for the purpose of illustration.

in. which is mounted a wooden plug 5a having a rounded outer face to contact with the enclosing cylinder wall under a yielding outward tendency produced by an arcuate spring 5, preferably semicircular, having on one end a cup-shaped. receptacle 6 for the wooden plug which is snugly mounted therein. The walls of said cup are preferably integral with the spring and the edge of the rim walls is flush with the adjacent portion of the spring so as to embrace the inner end of 10 the wooden plug and prevent its expansion or splitting under use.

A central opening I Fig. 2, is formed in the bottom of the cup, and a rearward projection 8 from said plug snugly fits in the same and assists 15 in centering the plug in the cup and also assists in holding the fibers of the plug together to avoid splitting. The flat bottoms of the cup and plug are closely engaged.

In Fig. 3 this hole I and matching rearward 20 extension 8' of the plug are shown larger than in Figs. 1 and 2, to embrace a greater portion of the wooden plug and hold it securely in the cup.

vide means located in the vertical axis A of the cylinder to support the spring 5 so the cupshaped end and contained plug will be disposed inoperative position adjacent the opening 4 in the side wall of the piston. The plug fits slido ingly in said opening so that its outer rounded face contacts with the enclosing cylinder wall, and the cup of the spring is held away from the inner wall of the piston a suitable distance to allow for the wear of the outer face of the 5 plug. The opposite end 9 of the semicircular spring bears against the opposite side wall of the piston in both the Figs. 1 and .3. The means for supporting the spring so as to hold the cup and its plug in position as above described is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 as formed by eyelugs l0 extending vertically downward from the lateral edges of the spring 5 so that the eyes in said lugs engage the wrist pin ll; transversely mounted in the piston in the usual form. These lugs support the spring at a middle point thereof in which is located in the vertical axis A of the piston and hold the spring in operative position as above described. These eyelugs extend down on opposite sides of the usual pitman head which is mounted on the wrist pin in the usual manner but not shown.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 3 and 4, I have. shown means for securing the arcuate In the side wall of the piston isan opening 4 spring inposition comprising a clamping bolt I2 55 Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, I pro- 5 is present in a piston to which my spring is applied, I provide a cup-shaped washer I4 mounted on the bolt and having its rim disposed upward in order to bear on the lower face of the head of the piston. When such piston has a rib projection I provide notches i5, Fig. 4, in the rim of the washer to embrace this rib and allow the rim of the washer to bear against the head as shown in Fig. 3. The lower face It of the washer is flat and is firmly engaged by the upper fiattened matching face I! of the spring due to the clamping action of said bolt.

When such downward projection from the piston head is absent, the clamping bolt will hold the spring firmly against the under side of the piston with or without the spacing washer above described.

On account of the flattened surfaces in engagement between the washer and the spring as held by the clamping bolt, the construction .shown.in Fig. 3 having a semicircular spring, may dispense with the end of .the spring contacting the piston wall opposite the cup and plug, and depend for its secure disposition upon the clamping bolt in the axis'of the piston for holding it firmly to produce the outward spring tendency of the cup and its containedplug. However, the semicircular form of springis preferred as the reaction of the end of the spring opposite the cup and plug, tends to assist the outward spring tendency of the same to effect operative yielding contact of the outer face of the plug with the enclosing cylinder.

I- claim:; 7

1. In a piston of the kind described provided with an opening through its side wall, a piston stabilizer comprising a. leaf spring within said piston yieldably bearing at one point against said piston wall so that one end of the spring terminates adjacent saidopening and is sprung outwardly of the piston thereat, means for support- 1 ing said spring intermediate its ends in said piston, a cup on said terminal end of the spring, and a wooden plug in saidcup and extending through said piston opening.

' 2. Ina piston of the kind described provided with an opening through its said side wall, a piston stabilizer comprising a bowed leaf spring supported intermediate its ends but free at one end to spring radially outwardly of the pisto a cup on said free end, and a wooden plug mounted in said cup and yieldingly thrust through said opening by said spring.

3. In a piston stabilizer adapted to be mounted within a piston and comprising an arcuate leaf spring fixed at one point inside said piston and provided with a cup at one end, whereby said cup is yieldingly thrust outwardly, said cup'having an opening through its rear, and a wooden plug fitted within said cup and having a projection to snugly fit through said cup opening to limit splitting of said plug thereat.

4. In a piston having an opening through its side wall, a piston stabilizer mounted within said piston and comprising an arcuate leaf spring yieldably engaging one end against said piston wall and provided adjacent its other end with a cup disposed adjacent said opening; a wooden plug in said cup and normally projecting through said opening, and means in alignment with the vertical axis of the piston fixedly securing said spring. to said piston thereat.

5. In a piston having a transverse rib on the underside of its head and having an opening through a side wall, a stabilizer comprising an arcuate spring within said piston and having a cup adjacent said opening, a clamping bolt through the vertical axis of said piston for securing the spring thereat against shifting, a cup washer on said bolt between said spring andpiston and having a cut-out to receive said rib of the latter, and whereby the washer rim bears against the underside of the piston head, and a wooden plug mounted in said cap and pressed outwardly through said opening by the thrust of said spring.

6. In a piston having a side opening and adapted for movement ina cylinder, a piston stabilizer comprising an arcuate spring element adapted to be fixed and secured intermediate its ends within said piston, and provided at, one end with an integral terminal cup having a central hole through its bottom, and a cylinder-engaging element held within said cup,' and having a central boss at its rear to extend through said central hole of said cup and engage the enclosing periphery of said hole to prevent splitting of said cylinder-engaging element thereat.

DALE J. WHERRY. 

